The National tribune., 1887-09-29
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
COTTON SEED MEAL


is very useful food for dairy COWS. 1t is the
reverse of laxative, and tends rather to costive-
ness. This, however, gives it an especial value
when cows are upon grass, or when it is mixed
with bran. When it was first introduced in
the Northern States rs food for cows, IL years
or more ago, it was sold at SlS per ton, and was
an exceedingly cheap food. Since then it has
become widely popular, and has advanced in
value so per cent. STILL for the nutriment con-
tained in it, it is yet cheap being valued for its
nutritive elements at $40 per ton, as compared
with the best clover hay at $50 per ton. 1t is
very rich in nitrogenous substances, aud is con-
sequently an unsafe food for cows, if fed to
excess. The cotton plant possesses some very
powerful medicinal qualities. The root pro-
duces abortion, and the seed certainly has some
of the same active effect. The meal has a de-
cided inhammatory eifectupon the milk glands,
and. therefore, is to be used only in very mod
crate quantities. We have fed it to cows from
four pounds daily down to one pound. and
while feeding two pounds daily, with twice rs
much bran and cornmeal, the butter product of
COW experimental upon ran up to two pounds
daily. When four pounds daily was fed, with
the same quantity of cornmeal and bran, the
yield Of butter was only IS3 pounds per day
for few days, when an attack of garget was
brought on, and for II days afterward the yield
was less than pound. As this result happened
frequently with other cows in the dairy, and
hired men could scarcely be restrained from
using too much of il, aud a fine litter of Berk-
shire pigs were sacrificed to this temptation to
feed the meal TO excess, its use was discarded
With one pound only, used with twice the guam
tity of cornmeal and bran for q single ration,
cotton seed meal may be used safely; but as
any oxcess over that is apt TO be injurious il is
advisable TO mix the feed in bulk. so that the
ration cannot be exceeded by any accident.
This meal gives high color. great soidity, a
fine waxy texture and q rich, nutty flavor to
the Naturalization 1griculturist.
WATER IN BUTTER.
While salt will readily dissolve at 80 degrees
IL is not so easy to get the butter free from the
surplus water, and il is by this needless water
that much injury is done to butter Fifty-fve
degrees would be better, and salt the butter at
6Odegrees. Water is a great solvent of caseiue
and sugar-traces Of which will be found in all
butter, however well worked-but the more
water remaining after working over, the
greater the chemical action, and acting upon
the minute particles of curd or cheese, il be-
comes rancid by well-known chemical action
Butter should not contain more water than is
necessary 10 dissolve what salt it will retain in
the form of brine, and IA per cent seems to be
about the amount. More water than this dilutes
the brine and defeats by so much the object of
the use Of salt in butter-to preserve the cas-
cine from chemical change; nor can this be ac-
compllshed save in temperature below 90 de-
Crees. In the usual creamery butter and all
that made by cold setting. the maker often
unintentionally leaves more than 20 per- cent
of water in butter. not understanding that but
ter made from cream slightly acid, retains more
moisture than that made from sourer cream.
The sonring breaks up the texture of the cream,
and the butter separates better from the but
termilk. Then all the butter maker needs to
do is 10 churn the ripened cream at a lower
temperature than is needed for sour, to use salt
each time in washing il free from buttermilk,
and when the regulation amount of salt is used
TO season the butter, let it Dissolve, and then
by gently working and packing. know that the
butter is free from any excess of water above
~ per cent. Then if kept below so degrees and
away from the influence of the air, butter
made from sOured milk must keep welI.-
Ahieriodn AgrictltuTist.
IMPROVING SEED WHEAT.
prominent seed firm in England is reported
to be making important experiments in
crossing varieties of wheat. This is done with
view 20 obtain kinds which shall be better
suited TO the particular conditions of soil and
Clllalc Oh VaIlOus SCcIlOnS OF England, tnan any
varieties now grown. The most experienced
wheat growers OF this country have long been
convinced that our varieties are better than our
culture, and that our farmers need better
preparation of the soil rather than new yari-
eties Of wheat Every farmer can greatly i'm
prove the variety he is growing. by giving
proper attention TO his seed. Let him devote
patch or part of a field to raising seed. This
should have special fertilizing. and the seed
Should he in rows far annuoh anart Tn oIiov of
| cultivating between them. Thin the plants in
the rows so as TO give each one abundant rOOm
and pull out all inferior and badly developed
plants. Before harvesting go through and re-
move all that have short aud poor ears. Thrash
this wheat by ITSELF aud in winnowing take
pains TO blow the light grains away from the
heavier ones. BY following this course for
several years, allowing each plant to do its part,
great improvement will result, and a valuable
strain, if not variety, will be established.
CURE FOR coLIc.
EDITOR NATIONAL tribune: " W. Harper
asks how to cure collie in horses. Let the COM
rade get spirits of turpentine and draw the
tongue of the horse out and apply a small
quantity. 1t will relieve soon. Repeat if not
relieved in 10 minutes. Nor harm or uneasi-
ness need be felt as TO results.
NOTES.
Eggplants are tropical by nature, and even
Il cool nlgnI Will sometimes lnlure tnem hence
do not take them from the hOt-bed too early.
- Hot red-pepper tea is the newest remedy
for the cabbage worm. It is sprinkled over the
cabbage while the tea is in nearly boiling con-
ditiOn.
- Every farm, no matter how small, should
have its place for compost making. IL costs
nothing to put there all the animal and vege-
table substances going to waste on the farm.
The thoughtful man finds material for his COM
post bed in all filthy places drains, bitches,
bogs, swamps cess-pools, ponds, cellars, scrap
lngs under barns, etc. Clay or loan is mixed
with the material from these different places,
and bed of clay is placed under them all to see
that rich juices do not drain through and go into
the ground. After every addition to the pile,
loan is placed on top to prevent the escape
OF rich gases. Farmers should try the addition
OF " hoats" or phosphate dust to their compost
| bed and report results.
OF all the methods of slowing away wheat
before thrashing barracks are the best, as il is
then not only out Of all danger of being caught
| in rain with half-flnished rick or stack but
| the loss OF grain is much less than by so much
| handling OF the sheaves when stacking as well
as in thrashing from shock In fact, barracks
| are the thing for both grain and hay.
- -Sassairas is a nuisance in any field, but it
cannot be destroyed very easily except by
grubbing 1t out removing all the roots. Being
hardy and persistent plant, it must be killed
| IN It's younger stages. If allowed to oyerrun q
field it will entail nearly as much labor as is
required TO clear new land from brush.
- Reaches may be kept out of any house by
| simply pairing a few green cucumbers, not very
thin, and laying the parings cut side up over
1 Wla fNUIww E r